Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was launched at the beginning of the month with spectacular sales – however not all HP fans were impressed. Three new Hogwarts ebooks will be available through online stores. An exhibition will take place at The British Library in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter.

Sales in US bookstores in the first half of 2016 were over 6% up over the same period in 2015. This is an interesting article suggesting that an increasing number of authors no longer rely on publishers. Is Augmented Reality the next big thing for bookshops?

The BBC has come up with a list of Scotland’s favourite novels, with the top ten to be announced in October. Slightly Foxed has shortlisted candidates for its Best First Biography Prize and UK authors dominate the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016. This year’s Wainwright Prize was awarded to Amy Liptrot's The Outrun. This is the longlist for the FT and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award and the shortlist for the inaugural Bookbug Picture Book Prize. Marilynne Robinson has been honoured for fostering peace, social justice and global understanding with her writing, and British writer Adrian Tchaikovsky was the recipient of the Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction.

People who read books live longer and readers of literary fiction have more empathy than fans of genre fiction. Parents reading with their children is important in uncertain times, scary stories included.

Library usage has fallen substantially in the UK, surely because there are fewer libraries?

Several new London bookshops are proudly wi-fi free. The UK’s oldest black publisher and bookshop celebrates 50 years in business. Waterstones is opening a new branch in Watford and has opened another in Yarm. WHS’ shares are outperforming those of Google and Apple.

Prisoners on London police custody will be offered a free book. And the Italian teenagers will be given €500 to spend on cultural pursuits including books.

 Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist is to be adapted for television as are Man Booker winner The Luminaries and Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

In BA news, the first Bookshop Day will be celebrated on 8th October as part of Books Are My Bag. And there’s still time to book for this year’s BA Conference and Gardners Tradeshow in Warwick on 11th/12th September.

August’s Definitely Not Mincing Your Words Award goes to this debate; the Book I Most Covert but Unsure Why to this and the Not for Me Thanks to this unappetising prospect.